Wide-Ranging Wireline Conveyance Tool Serves Extended-Reach Wells
Safe, efficient, and cost-effective; now more than ever, these qualities remain key drivers, especially when gathering downhole data in highly deviated and extended-reach wells.
To achieve this, wireline engineers need to be able to deploy–and retrieve–downhole tools to carry out operations ranging from logging and sampling in open hole, to running logging tools, perforating guns, or plugs and packers in cased hole. Complicating matters, these tools must often reach target depths of more than 20,000 ft.
The good news is that conveyancing technology continues to evolve, providing greater efficiencies, while reducing risks and costs. When Probe contributed to reducing the requirement for expensive coiled tubing and tractors in many wireline operations in 2009, it was a game-changer. That was the year that Probe introduced the I-Wheel? range of wireline conveyance optimization tools.
Today, most major wireline service companies and independents have used this system to deploy tools to target depth, particularly in deviated wells. Hundreds of runs have been executed for applications in deepwater, offshore, onshore, remote fields and HP/HT environments. It has been used in the Middle East, Far East, West Africa, Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and the U.K.-Norway North Sea.
To illustrate, a leading service company began using this technology to deploy instruments on wireline in deviated, openhole wellbores in 2009. Since then, it has completed many wireline runs of up to 75 degrees deviation in the North Sea alone. One of its customers required fluid sampling in wells that typically feature a 68 degree deviation, making traditional fluid sampling– typically deployed on pipe–untenable. By using conveyance optimization technology, this company saved its customer two days of costly rig time.
Currently, this company estimates that it has saved its customers more than US$30 million in pipe-conveyed logging runs.
Reduced friction facilitates greater target depths
The I-Wheel uses low-friction ballistic grade bearings that reduce toolstring drag along the borehole wall, allowing the toolstring to reach increased depths, reducing the need for, or improving the efficiency of, standard conveyancing methods that demand coiled tubing, tractors or tubing to convey logging devices or perforating strings. Available in many sizes for cased hole and openhole, it has multiple applications.
Because both in-line or over-body configurations are available, I-Wheels ensure toolstring length is kept at its shortest where rigup height can be a major factor in wellbore access. With its rugged, ballistic grade design, it’s safe to deploy in all wellbore environments, and can be run repeatedly before requiring maintenance or replacement.
These capabilities, when combined with the tool standoff provided by the I-Wheel design, minimize the risk of differential sticking, increasing operational efficiency and reliability. It can be used in virtually any well trajectory, under conditions that otherwise make conveyance by wireline impossible. For example, a customer used it to deploy perforating string with 200 ft perforating guns to an 84 degree deviation. This reduced tool drag friction by more than 60%.
“I-Wheel hubs are interchangeable and are quickly adapted to different size wheels,” said Federico Casavantes, CEO of Probe. “When preparing to convey instruments in different diameter wellbores, only the wheels need to be changed, not the entire assembly, which is typical of other conveyancing systems. Our solution is highly adaptable and efficient.”
I-Wheel for smaller open hole applications in development
With the rise in deviated and extended reach wells, demand for effective conveyance applications continues. In response, Probe is launching a new I-Wheel for extremely small openhole applications that pose deployment problems due to friction produced by the low flow area surrounding the tool, causing conveyancing tools to stick. The tool, which has a 5.6-inch outer diameter, will be field-trialed during summer 2017. It will offer a reliable, cost-effective way to deploy logging instruments in restricted diameter environments, solving an expensive and challenging problem.
Surface, Subsea MPD Demands Remake The RCD
AFGlobal has released a design concept and materials technology to produce a nonrotating active control device that replaces the RCD in deepwater applications.
The specialization of managed-pressure drilling (MPD) equipment for surface and subsea applications is improving the performance of rotating control devices (RCDs) in land, surface and deepwater subsea applications, eliminating the need for RCDs. AFGlobal offers new application-specific MPD equipment that is designed to enhance safety and efficiency, and is releasing next-generation design concepts, materials and performance.
MPD sophistication
The equipment advances reflect the growing sophistication of MPD as a common, and often prerequisite, tool for modern wellbore construction. Demand has evolved two design paths for MPD-enabling RCD equipment: land and marine surface applications, and deepwater subsea applications.
The RCD directs the rig’s annular fluid returns into a series of chokes and instruments by sealing the annulus between the drillpipe and casing. Traditional RCD designs have achieved this with a rotating elastomer seal element and bearing assembly. The design is very effective, but has wear and maintenance requirements. In deepwater applications, high operational costs make these RCD expenses particularly significant.
AFGlobal, a manufacturer of MPD equipment and provider of MPD engineering services, has released a new design concept and materials technology to produce a nonrotating active control device that replaces the RCD in deepwater applications.
Surface application
In surface applications, the RCD is installed on top of the BOP stack. In deepwater systems, the RCD is installed subsea as an integral component of the drilling riser. The two applications present different economic and operational demands, which have produced unique variations for improving safety, time and efficiency.
In surface applications, AFGlobal L-Series RCD is a direct, cost-effective tool for implementing MPD operations based on decades of RCD manufacturing experience. The L-Series RCD is technology built and tested to API 16 A, API 16 RCD, and NACE standards. The device improves performance with an element and bearing assembly designed for long service and convenient maintenance.
Subsea application
Deepwater MPD has resulted in a significant departure from conventional RCD design that introduces a nonrotating device. AFGlobal’s active control device seals around the drillpipe with a nonrotating hydraulically controlled sealing sleeve. The sleeve is made possible by a co-molded element that features an enhanced urethane matrix reinforced with a durable polytetrafluoroethylene inner shell. As the sealing sleeve wears, pressure is actively applied to force the element against the drillpipe to maintain consistent seal performance.
Active pressure sealing is a significant advance over RCD operations that degrade the performance of a passive rotating elastomer seal. The new device varies hydraulic pressure on the seal to compensate for wear and accommodate passage of wear-inducing tool joints. In addition, active pressure is a positive wear indicator to inform maintenance and assure MPD operations. Service life and performance is further enhanced by the greater durability of the co-molded element and lubrication of the seal with drilling mud.
MPD integration
The active control device is a component of AFGlobal’s riser gas handling system (RGH), which is an integral part of the drilling riser. It is used to address safety issues that occur when formation gas breaks out of solution in the riser. It also is the basis for establishing an MPD-ready rig with the addition of manifolds, instrumentation, control systems and other MPD equipment. The component-based RGH easily accommodates MPD service company equipment in addition to AFGlobal MPD systems owned by the drilling contractor or operator.
AFGlobal provides a full scope MPD engineering support and MPD equipment. The NControl MPD platform integrates monitoring, data, control, analysis and automation. Its rig floor workstations provide an interface with systems components, including flowmeters, transmitters, sensors and valves. Specialized manifolds enable precise downhole pressure management and integration of mud returns with the rig system.
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